Incidentally, when Kapil and Co staged a comic act for a festival in Uttar Pradesh last year, he had approximately charged Rs 65 lakh, sharing the payment with his teammates. So, the apparent hike in his individual fee has baffled event organizers.

A source says Kapil, who will shortly be jetting off to Malaysia for a show, has been getting a lot of offers for stand-up gigs in India as well as abroad.

“He was approached for a domestic event, but he asked for R75 lakh. Now the organizers are in a dilemma; they want him on board, but have a limited budget. So, they are checking with advertisers and sponsors if they can chip in for such a hefty amount," the source added.

Kapil remained unavailable for comment. Preeti Simoes, co-producer of his comedy show on TV, denies the buzz about him having asked for Rs 75 lakh.